Leon Knopoff

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Leon Knopoff, American geophysicist (born July 1, 1925, Los Angeles, Calif.—died Jan. 20, 2011, Sherman Oaks, Calif.), pioneered the field of theoretical seismology, using mathematics to develop a model of the way seismic waves propagate through a physical medium. His groundbreaking work in the study of earthquakes and plate tectonics allowed advances in earthquake prediction.